( † Disclaimer: This search is powered by PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed is a third-party website with no affiliation with Cleveland Clinic.)

Biographical Sketch

Tom Abelson, MD is Medical Director of the Beachwood Family Health and Surgery Center. Dr. Abelson is also a Staff Physician in the Department of Otolaryngology at the Beachwood Family Health and Surgery Center and at the Cleveland Clinic Head and Neck Institute. His specialty interests include voice medicine, pediatric otolaryngology, hearing and general otolaryngology.

Dr. Abelson is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University where he also is a Preceptor for the Foundations of Clinical Medicine course for first and second year students.

Prior to joining the Cleveland Clinic in 1997, Dr. Abelson was in private practice with EENT Associates, Inc. He is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology. He earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed a surgical internship and residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio and an otolaryngology residency at the Cleveland Clinic, also in Cleveland, Ohio.

He has several publications on topics such as unilateral superior laryngeal nerve paralysis, laryngeal tuberculosis, and laryngopharyngeal reflux. He is a member of several medical societies, including the Voice Foundation, the Ohio State Medical Association and the American Medical Association. He is on the board of the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio (AMCNO).

Industry Relationships

Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists may collaborate with the pharmaceutical or medical device industries to help develop medical breakthroughs or provide medical expertise or education. Cleveland Clinic strives to make scientific advances that will benefit patient care and support outside relationships that promise public benefit. In order for the discoveries of Cleveland Clinic physicians' and scientists' laboratories and investigations to benefit the public, these discoveries must be commercialized in partnership with industry. As experts in their fields, Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists are often sought after by industry to consult, provide expertise and education.

To assure professional and commercial integrity in such matters, Cleveland Clinic maintains a program that reviews these collaborations and, when appropriate, puts measures in place to minimize bias that may result from ties to industry. The Cleveland Clinic publicly discloses the names of companies when (i) its physicians/scientists receive $5,000 or more per year (or, in rare cases, equity or stock options) for speaking and consulting, (ii) its physicians/scientists serve as a fiduciary, (iii) its physicians/scientists
receive or have the right to receive royalties or (iv) its physicians/scientists hold any equity interest for the physician's/scientist's role as inventor, discoverer, developer, founder or consultant.* In publicly disclosing this information, the Cleveland Clinic tries to provide information as accurately as possible about its physicians' and scientists' connections with industry.

As of 1/12/2015, Dr. Abelson has reported no financial relationship with industry that is applicable to this listing. In general, patients should feel free to contact their doctor about any of the relationships and how the relationships are overseen by the Cleveland Clinic. To learn more about the Cleveland Clinic's policies on collaborations with industry and innovation management, go to our Integrity in Innovation page.

Public Health Service-Reportable Financial Conflicts of Interest. Cleveland Clinic scientists and physicians engage in basic, translational and clinical research activities, working to solve health problems, enhance patient care and improve quality of life for patients. Interactions with industry are essential to bringing the researchers’ discoveries to the public, but can present the potential for conflicts of interest related to their research activities. Click here to view a listing of instances where Cleveland Clinic has identified a Public Health Service (PHS)-Reportable Financial Conflict of Interest and has put measures in place to ensure that, to the extent possible, the design, conduct and reporting of the research is free from bias.

* Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists subscribe to the guidance presented in the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals and the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions with Health Care Professionals. As such, gifts of substantial value are generally prohibited.